Parshat Lech-Lecha

Torah

November 5, 2011 8 Cheshvan, 5772

Rabbi Frand on Parshat Lech Lecha

The Medrash Rabbah on this week's Parsha Haftorah states in the name Artscroll, 1133 of Rav Levi: There Hertz, 60 are two times that "Lech Lecha" is Aufruf Jonny Edelstein written in the Torah and we do not know which is G-d's Times favorite the first Friday Mincha 5:30 pm or the second. The Candle Lighting 5:29 pm first "Lech Lecha" is obviously the first Hashkama 8:00 am pasuk of our Parsha Shiur 8:30 am parsha [Bereshis Main Minyan 9:00 am 12:1]: "Go out Beit Midrash 9:15 am from your land, from your birth Teen Minyan 9:30 am place, and from Gemorah Shiur 4:20 pm your father's house to the land that I Mincha 5:20 pm will show you." The Shabbat Ends 6:39 pm second "Lech Lecha" is in Sunday 7:30/8:30 am connection with November 6 Akeidas Yitzchok, Mincha 4:25 pm where Avraham is
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told "Go out to the Land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you." [Bereshis 22:2] Rav Levi concludes that Akeidas Yitzchok was a greater test than the test of Avram leaving his homeland and thus the second instance of "Lech Lecha" is "more precious to G-d". It is actually strange that Rav Levi was even puzzled by this question. Why would anyone think that the test of leaving one's homeland (particularly in the context of the great reward that HaShem

promised to Avram if he complied with this commandment) might be comparable to the test of the Akeida? The Akeida would be most difficult for any parent particularly such a person as Avraham, who was the paradigm of Chessed and who had preached monotheism and the virtues of a Merciful G-d all these years to his many disciples. A Nesivos Shalom (by the Slonimer Rebbe) at the beginning of the parsha addresses this issue. Certainly, the

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Kiddush is sponsored by Judith & Martin Edelstein in honor of the aufruf and upcoming marriage of their son Jonny to Jaclyn Cohen

Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Amy & Marc Kalter in honor of the birth of their daughter

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Akeida was a very difficult nisayon [test], but it was a "one shot affair". Avraham was called upon to ascend the mountain, sacrifice Yitzchak, and then the nisayon would be over. However, the nisayon of Lech Lecha in our parsha is a test of beginning a journey that will affect him and will last the rest of his life. Everyone has his own personal odyssey in life. We are all charged with the task of bringing completeness to our souls. We have to achieve correction of our neshma in our own personal fashion. That is the charge of Lech LECHA (go in YOUR OWN way). This charge involves a lifetime of work. Many times, this charge requires getting out of the box that is one's environment, one's society, and one's family. We never enter life with a clean slate. We all enter life with baggage emotional baggage, financial baggage, genetic baggage, family baggage. Sometimes the "baggage" is very good and extremely helpful. Other times the baggage can be a real handicap. The type of people that we are and the characteristics (middos) that we have are primarily not our own choosing. When a person is given a mission in life and a goal to accomplish, it may involve the need to rid himself of so much of the baggage that he came with (one's land, one's birthplace, one's family). Such a challenge is not a one shot deal. Rather, it

accompanies us day in and day out. Such a constant lifelong challenge may indeed be cumulatively a greater test than a test requiring only a momentary rise to the occasion, as difficult as that challenge may be.

Great Neck Synagogue Shabbat Activities Program

Dale Polakoff, Rabbi Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,zl, Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Intern Zeev Kron, Cantor Eleazer Schulman, zl, Cantor Emeritus Mark Twersky, Executive Director Joseph Hecht, President Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board

GreatNeckSynagogueMensClub andthe JewishPoliticalEducationFoundation arepleasedtopresenta breakfastandspeakeron Sunday,November13,at10:00am IntheBraunYouthCenter SaulSilasFathi:LecturerandAuthor TheEndoftheWarinIraq andProspectsfor WarwithIran (Emphasizingthe Israelifactor)

ThisyearforThanksgivingYoucanreallygivethanksand begiving!BuyaThanksgivingDinnerforaresidentat ArrandaleSeniorHousingandmakeyourparentsproudof you.$18cansponsoradinnerinhonorof/inmemoryof yourparents Name:_______________________________ Phone#__________________________ Email:_______________________________ Mealspurchasedinmemory/inhonor of:______________ _______________________________________ Amountenclosed:______ ___________________________ Wearealsolookingforalimitednumberofvolunteers (ALLAGES)tohelpservethedinner,cleanup,playmusic, sing&talktotheresidents IwouldliketovolunteeronThursday,Nov24th 11:302pm FoodServer:_______________ OtherTalent:____________________ VolunteerNames&KidsAges: ____________________________ CoSponsoredby:GNSHungerInitiative,Sisterhood& WomensTefilaFormoreinfo:callNechamaat516773 3572oremaillisslev@verizon.net

ANNOUNCEMENTS
COMBINED SISTERHOODS OF GREAT NECK MEETING The Combined Sisterhoods of Great Neck are meeting on Wednesday morning, November 2nd at 9:30am in the library of Temple Israel. Please join us to help plan this annual spring event. SISTERHOOD MEETING Please join us on Wednesday evening, November 2nd at 7:00pm in the Braun Youth Center for a Sisterhood meeting to plan and organize upcoming Sisterhood events! Following this meeting, we are delighted to have Cindy Hodkin teach us how to make the famous NY Times recipe for "No Knead Bread". Please bring a room temperature water bottle and a large pyrex bowl. Advance reservations are required to attend. This event is dedicated in honor of Cindy Hodkin's mother, Roslyn Korman. SISTERHOOD ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER Please join us on Tuesday evening, November 8th at 6:00pm at Shiraz Restaurant, 770 Middle Neck Road for the Sisterhood Annual Membership Dinner featuring guest speaker Reyna Simnegar, cookbook author of "Persian Food from the Non-Persian Bride." There will also be a book signing that evening. The entrance fee is $36 (includes five raffle tickets) and your membership dues. Pre-paid reservations are required by October 28th. Event sponsors are greatly appreciated (Gold $72, Silver $36, Bronze $18). GNS MENS CLUB On Sunday, November 13 at 10:00 am, the GNS Mens Club, together with the Jewish Political Education Foundation, are pleased to present Saul Silas Fathi, Lecturer and Author, who will be speaking on The End of the War in Iraq and Prospects for war with Iran (emphasizing the Israeli factor). Breakfast will be available. NEW YORK MARATHON Arnie Breitbart will be running the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, to benefit The Blue Card, a vital organization providing critical support to elderly Holocaust survivors living in poverty. Checks can be made out to The Blue Card and sent to Arnie Breitbart, 10 Imperial Court, Great Neck, NY 11023, or donations can be made online at http://www.imathlete.com/donate/ArnoldBreitbart. ALYN HOSPITAL 300 MILES RIDE Laura and Scott Danoff will travel to Israel next week to represent GNS as part of Team Great Neck as they ride 300 miles to help raise badly needed funds for the Alyn Hospital Israel's only center dedicated to the rehabilitation of children, with treatments of trauma, rehabilitation of cancer patients and those born with birth defects. Donations can be made by mail to Laura and Scott Danoff, 4 Vista Drive, GN 11021. Make checks payable to American Friends of Alyn Hospital. Or you can donate online at www.wolusa.org/scottdanoff (http:// www.wolusa.org/scottdanoff). OHEL SHABBATON on November 18th-19th. If you would like to host (no meals) OHEL that Shabbos, please contact Rabbi Lichter ilichter@gns.org SHUL SECURITY As part of our ongoing effort to improve the security for our shul, we have a car donation program to help raise the needed funds without burdening the membership with the expenses . Instead of trying to sell your automobile privately, we will give you a tax deductible receipt for the fair market value of your vehicle. We trade the cars in for cash. We have already received 3 vehicles and these have helped fund our security car as well as the additional security forces. So when you have a vehicle to dispose of call us and we will do the rest. WOMENS TEFILA Women's Tefila wishes Mazal Tov to Felicia Morris, our Kallah Torah, Sharon Mazur Kallah Breishit, and Carol Buckman, Kallah Maftir. Thanks to the many women who danced, sang, layned and davened! SIMCHA DANCING FOR GIRLS Want to learn all the best dances for your next celebration? Rachel Lunzer and Sarah Katz will be running a Bat Mitzvah Dance class for girls 5th through 7th grade. The class will be held at GNS every Thurs. at 7pm. The total for all 8 classes is $100. For more info. and to register for the class, email batmitzvahdance@gmail.com or call Rachel at 516-316-8690. SAVE THE DATE The NSHA Early Childhood Parlor Meeting will be held on Saturday evening, November, 12th 8:00 pm at the home of Jessica and Evan Shusterman.

Within Our Family

Mazal Tov to Judith & Martin Edelstein on the upcoming marriage of their son Jonny to Jaclyn Cohen, daughter of Dr. Alan & Meryl Cohen. Mazal Tov to Myra & Alon Mogilner on the upcoming marriage of their daughter Shoshana to Yehuda Fein. Also Mazal Tov to grandmother Nadine Eckstein. Mazal Tov to Lauren & Gideon Yudelowitz on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to Elana & Rabbi Brahm Weinberg on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to Laura and Scott Danoff on the marriage of their daughter Katie to Nadav Geft, son of Lieba and Ivor Geft of Los Angeles. Mazal Tov to Lisa & Oded Daskal on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Daniel.

YIDDISH VORT A crowded train, two food hawkers compete, Sholem Aleichem creates a funny, human story at Dos Yiddish Vort. Wednesday, November 2 at 1:30pm. All welcome. For info: Call Roz Wagner 487-9795. LADIES DANCE Ladies Dance will be starting again on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 am. SHIDDUCH GROUP Nov. 10th will be the first meeting of the joint GNS and YI Shidduch Group. The group will help connect our members' single relatives and friends. Those interested should come with a profile sheet filled out for each single person they wish to present. The group will review the candidates and try to make matches between the singles. All discussions will be considered confidential. Email Katie Lichter or Malka Ismach at katielichter@gmail.com or malkaismach@gmail.com for more info, to get a copy of the profile sheet and to RSVP. The meeting will take place Nov. 10th at 8:30, at the Feldschreiber home, 34 Gateway Drive. SAVE THE DATE Dr. Paul and Drora Brody will receive the "Defender of Jerusalem Award" at the Centennial Dinner of the National Council of Young Israel, on Sunday afternoon, November 13, 2011, at Terrace on the Park. For info., please call (516) 482-3834. THANKSGIVING WITH SENIORS Buy a Thanksgiving Dinner for a resident at Arrandale Senior Housing for $18 and sponsor in honor of/ in memory of your parents. Send your name and check to GNS . Limited number of volunteers (ALL AGES) needed to help serve dinner, clean up, play music, sing, and talk to residents at Arrandale Senior Housing on Thursday November 24th at 11:302:00 pm. Call Nechama @ 516-773-3572, or email lisslev@verizon.net Saturday, 8 Cheshvan Harold Domnitch for Alice Smoklow Leo R. Mindick for Hyman Rubinstein Sunday, 9 Cheshvan Felix Glaubach for Cyrilie Glaubach Sarita Greszes for Hersh Rosenberg Monday, 10 Cheshvan Nadine Eckstein for Herbert Eckstein Albert Miller for Israel Miller Myra Mogilner for Herbert Eckstein Tuesday, 11 Cheshvan Harvey Brenner for Susan Brenner Mellan Evelyn Henis for Harry Noah Roslyn Korman for Charles Wasserman Wednesday, 12 Cheshvan Frank Buchsbaum for Josephine Buchsbaum Roslyn Dicker for Miriam Gottlieb Sydelle Knepper for Rosalie Marin Tricia Moslin for Nycha Solomon Ellen Siegel for Shirley Crair Thursday, 13 Cheshvan Eva Bachrach for Joseph Grunfarb Abigail Epstein for H. Howard Ostrin Pauline Loewenstein for David Rutta Marcia Williams for Murry Bergtraum Friday, 14 Cheshvan Milton Rabinowitz for Avraham Rabinowitz

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